I managed to play Strength of the Sword: ULTIMATE at EGX last year, and while I enjoyed my time with it, I don’t think I really fell in love. That’s not to say it was a bad game, in fact I liked it a lot, but for some reason it didn’t quite grab hold of me. However, that’s all changed now, as this game well and truly has its hooks sunk into me after spending more time with it at Rezzed last week. In fact it was the only game at the show that I took the time to play more than once, such was my infatuation with the game.
At its core, Strength of the Sword is an arena brawler with a rather brutal difficulty curve. Correct use of your shield and dodge ability are incredibly important, as are reading your enemy’s attacks and knowing when to strike. It’s a game that really requires your full attention, and it’s all the better for it.
Beyond that basic description, you play as a War Golem, which is essentially a magically powered robot. While the demo only had two variations of Golem, the gunner and the warrior, the full game actually allows you to completely customize your loadout, giving you more flexibility than a traditional class based system. Unfortunately I can’t speak more about these RPG elements of the game, as the demo didn’t feature any of those concepts.
If the Strength of the Sword name is familiar to you, that’s because Strength of the Sword 3 was released on the PS3. However, just to be clear, not only was Strength of the Sword 3 the first entry in the Strength of the Sword franchise, it was Ivent Games’ first ever title. It’s certainly an unconventional approach to naming your first game, but I can’t begrudge them that because they’ve basically captured lightning in a bottle.
Exposure to the original version of the game was somewhat limited though, as it was only available on the single platform. Ultimate aims to broaden the game’s reach, by bringing the game to Windows, OS X, Linux, PS4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One and Wii U. On top of that, Ivent are adding a lot of new content alongside the general level of polish you’d expect in a port to new platforms.
While the original game was focused around the single player story mode, Ultimate is adding plenty of new multiplayer gameplay for those of you who are a little more social. The game’s getting PvP, which in and of itself is a substantial expansion in terms of the potential longevity, as well as a co-operative mode if you’re feeling less competitive.
What’s more interesting than these two multiplayer modes, in my opinion at least, is the new Dark Mode. Essentially this is a variant on the new PvP play that will see you face off against a Dark Swordsman. These are an entirely new type of War Golem that’s much, much tougher to beat than the average opponent, with access to new powers you haven’t seen before. However, if you do beat them you collect tokens, this will let you play as the Dark Swordsman and get a taste of their power.
It’s a really nice tweak on normal PvP combat and adds asymmetric gameplay to the title, something I’ve found exciting and interesting since the days of Aliens versus Predator. While this wasn’t in the demo I got my hands on, it’s something I’d very much like to try when the game’s out, assuming I can actually beat enough Dark Swordsmen to get there.
Outside of new modes, the game’s also getting plenty of new items that expand upon the customization items in the original. Among these is the “Cannon Sword”, essentially a variant on the well known gun sword. While I normally think these weapons are kind of dumb, the one in Strength of the Sword works well, being nicely balanced between ranged and melee combat, and does genuinely look pretty cool.
I think it’d be reasonable to say that Strength of the Sword: Ultimate isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s a game that you’re going to have to invest real time in if you want to succeed, and the addition of PvP is only going to increase that time. However, this hasn’t deterred me in the slightest. I may not be particularly good at Strength of the Sword right now, but I want to learn and can’t wait to get my hands on the final version.
